37 dead in floods in DR Congo capital

Thursday January 4 2018

Thirty-seven people die in DR Congo floods. Flooding is a major peril for residents of Kinshasa, a chaotic city with a population of around 10 million people. GOOGLE MAPS

In Summary

The provincial minister for health and social affairs, Dominique Weloli, said many of the dead, which included "two or three drowned children," had lived in Ngaliema, a poor hillside community that was particularly hit.

Many homes are flimsy and built on hillsides where lack of drainage makes them vulnerable to mudslides and flash floods.